Preparation, practice allowed Marcel Reed to show out in 'The Swamp'

Redshirt freshman quarterback Marcel Reed had his number called on Saturday, and he answered the call with a stellar performance in A&M's 33-20 victory over Florida. Reed sat down for an exclusive one-on-one to discuss his preparation, playing in Gainesville and more.

Key notes from Marcel Reed interview

• I think that photo behind us was a completion. That was the one to Moose Muhammad III. It had to be. I can tell because I remember that guy being in my face.
   
• You have to be prepared at all times because you never know what is going to happen. Last year, guys would go down. I was young and had to be ready quickly. Anybody can go down at any time, and everybody in that quarterback room is capable. Any one of us can get it done. It just happened to be me on Saturday to have their name called, and I was ready to perform.
   
• That was really important to get off to that start. It was loud, and honestly, I couldn’t hear the first two or three plays. We knew we had to get this win on the road because we hadn’t had one in 1,065 days. The coaches and players having confidence in me made it easy for us to go and perform. The same could be said for the way the defense played as well.
   
• I watched “The Swamp” a lot as a kid. I used to watch Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin all the time. I had heard a lot about “The Swamp,” and it’s a great college football environment. Being in there for the first time as a player feels different, but at the end of the day, you have a job to do. That’s to play football.
   
• Running is not something I think about. It’s instinctive. My dad tells me all the time that if I don’t see it, use my legs and run. Going into this game, we talked about how LSU played Florida last year, and things weren’t clicking until Jayden Daniels started using his legs. That was in my mind, and it made things a lot easier.
   
• I had a lot of confidence going into that second drive because we should’ve scored on that first possession. We drove down the field, and they opened the gap for me to throw it. It felt really good to get that touchdown and go up 10-0. It was Theo Melin Öhrström’s first touchdown ever. It feels great when you can feed the ball to the tight ends. It felt great to give him that touchdown and to get that momentum going.
   
• My favorite play was probably the run right before the QB sneak to go in for a touchdown. I thought I scored, and so did Collin Klein. It was a good run and great blocking by the offensive line. The play went exactly how we wanted it to go. It was a two-way-go, depending on the defensive end’s leverage.
   
• There are things we have to correct and the things we didn’t do well... We did well on third downs. That first possession, I know we got three points with a field goal, but it would’ve felt a lot better to get seven.
   
• Praise to Adam Cushing and praise to people like Trey Zuhn III, Chase Bisontis, Ar’maj Reed-Adams and the vocal leaders up front. Mike Elko always talks about them being the identity of our team, and they have to be because they go up against our guys like Nic Scourton, Shemar Stewart and Shemar Turner. The offensive line knows what they’re supposed to do, and they do it with a lot of energy. Props to those guys.
   
• The running backs are crazy. It’s amazing to watch Le’Veon Moss run and not be tackled by the first guy. Amari Daniels has improved a lot, gotten a lot faster, and he has great vision. EJ Smith is a great asset, too, because he has power and speed. That 99-yard drive we had in the rain... The first run with Moss kickstarted it. Those guys don’t back down to any challenge. Trooper Taylor has held them accountable and made that room great.
   
• Conner Weigman told me in the locker room that he might not be able to go, but it was just words of encouragement. We have a great room, and we are all bought into each other. We’re behind each other whenever we need to be. He did a great job of being a leader, and trusting me to take on that role for that game made me feel even more confident.
   
• Playing the game is always going to help. I got my feet wet against McNeese. The communication helps me learn how to operate. Going into each week, practice and getting reps and being able to do the things I’m coached to do is going to help me going through this season.
   
• I don’t remember seeing the Florida 430-pounder getting in my face. There is a picture of him looking like a bear about to pounce on me. I just remember that if I saw blue that I had to be gone. That guy didn’t play much of a factor. The offensive line protected me, and that includes TJ Shanahan stepping in when Kolinu’u Faaiu went down.
   
• It all comes down to situational play, and I understand down and distance. My first read on the long touchdown was to Tre Watson, but I saw the corner didn’t have his head turned to Cyrus Allen, who came open. He and Noah Thomas did the rest.
   
• All of those receivers are disciplined and do what they’re required to do. Being able to move Terry Bussey to the backfield, the slot or out wide, keeps the defense on their toes. Jabre Barber is quick, and we can get the ball to him in space. Those guys are big weapons, and we have weapons all over the place.
   
• My dad always calls me to tell me to be prepared and to know my reads. He’s a coach and a dad at the same time. He’s a great person. He knows a lot of people in Nashville. One time he got pulled over and got out of it. He knows way too many people. He tries to keep my head level at all times. He told me not to be worried about everything else and to just be focused on the next week. He told me he was proud of me. It was his birthday on Sunday, so after the game on Saturday, he told me thank you for the early birthday present. That was pretty special.